Alec Cowan
Producer, Soundside
About
Alec Cowan is a producer for Soundside. His interests have brought many eclectic stories to the program, and his segments gravitate toward history, technology, arts and culture, and the environment. After reporting a handful of stories aboard Puget Sound, he's proud to be KUOW's unofficial "boat guy."
Prior to joining Soundside, Alec wore many hats at KUOW. He was a producer for The Record with Bill Radke, and was the producer of Primed season two and three. He also reported and produced an episode of SoundQs detailing how prohibition forever changed Seattle policing and assisted with reporting a breakthrough cold case solved with the use of genetic genealogy.
Before joining KUOW Alec worked in NPR's Story Lab, where he helped pilot the Louder Than A Riot podcast on hip-hop and mass incarceration and assisted in producing a story on volunteerism in Iraq for Rough Translation. Originally from Grand Junction, Colorado, his roots in the Northwest begin in Eugene, where he studied English and philosophy at the University of Oregon and worked as a news reporter for NPR member station KLCC. He is likely neglecting his saxophone, growing book collection, and expanding personal project list in favor of boosting his online Xbox ranking instead.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: he/him/his
Podcasts
Stories
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Four cases of rare fungus found in WA. Here's what you should know about it
Last month the first-ever local outbreak of Candida auris, a deadly fungus, was reported in Washington State. So far, four cases of infection from the fungus have been linked to Kindred Hospital in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood. Cases of C. auris -- which was first identified in Japan in 2009 -- have risen throughout the United States since 2016.
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How an Indigenous rights battle in WA changed tribal law, from fishing to culverts
Fifty years ago, a landmark federal court case brought against Washington state reaffirmed the treaty rights of Native Americans to fish in traditional waters and shorelines. From culvert rehab to dam removal, 1974's "Boldt Decision" has expanded far beyond fishing to legally empower tribes' ability to protect natural resources.
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Could studying how dogs age help us understand the ways humans do?
Dogs share so much of their lives with humans and can develop the same health conditions we do, like dementia or diabetes. Those similarities drove researchers to wonder if our medical science can help dogs live longer — and if maybe, our furry friends could tell us something about how we age, too.
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Woolly dogs once provided fleece for Coast Salish tribes. What happened to them?
Outside of alpacas, woolly dogs were one of the few indigenous animals providing wool in the Americas. And for centuries, woolly dogs were at the center of tribal life throughout the Coast Salish world. Since the 19th century, however, these dogs are considered extinct. Today, a resurfaced specimen at the Smithsonian Institution is helping broaden the scientific and tribal understanding of the woolly dog's genetics and role in Coast Salish life.
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Looking back and looking ahead: the 50-year anniversary of the Endangered Species Act
Since it was passed, the ESA has listed more than 1,600 species for protection, and the overwhelming majority of listed animals have been saved from extinction. What have we learned in the last 50 years about how we can better protect the environment – and what lessons can we take with us into the next 50 years of the Endangered Species Act?
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After Alaska flight loses door plug at 16,000 feet, questions about Boeing Max planes linger
On Friday, 20 minutes after takeoff and at an elevation of 16,000 feet, a door plug on the side of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 ripped off midair. As oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling, some of the 171 passengers took videos on their phones of the gaping hole in the side of the jet. After quickly circling back to Portland, Ore., the plane landed safely. Now all the attention is on what could have happened aboard that Boeing 737 Max 9.
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Celebrating the day ‘the sun turns around’ in the Pacific Northwest
Each December, tribes throughout the Pacific Northwest mark the winter solstice with what’s known as “Indian New Year.” The festivities include a feast commemorating the shortest day of the year, the return of longer days, and, eventually, springtime harvest.
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Tips for sorting online fact from fiction
Hoaxes, scams and bogus content are always lurking on the internet. But with a presidential election looming and social media companies pulling away from content moderation, 2024 is primed for a new level of nonsense. So how do you sort fact from fiction?
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Producer picks: posthumous poetry, historical searches, and spring football
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Remembering 'the cow that stole Christmas,' 20 years later
Twenty years ago, on Dec. 23, panic descended on Central Washington and the nation’s cattle industry over a single cow. Today, many locals in Mabton know this event as, "the cow that stole Christmas."